Life Goes On
by The Writer Of Lucifenia
Summary: A continuation of The Escape. After finally being able to get away from Ryoba, Soto finds himself having a hard time adjusting to a normal life. He's determined to provide for his daughter, Ayano, but living after having been a prisoner for most of his life is harder than he thought. Soto and Ayano must adjust to their new life and pick up the pieces left behind by Ryoba.
1. Chapter 1 - Bunny Business

_"Soto! Wait up!"_

 _"You're too slow!" I called out as I ran towards school as fast as I could, leaving my friend behind in the dust. It was a perfect fall day. Mom made French toast for breakfast, I slept rather well, and I was beating Kaito in a race… As always. I_

 _"You're an asshole!"_

 _"Ok!" I yelled, though I soon regretted that as a leaf flew into my throat and started to choke me, much to Kaito's amusement._

 _"Ha! Serves you right!" he laughed and slapped my back, which helped dislodge the leaf from my throat._

 _"And I'm the asshole here?"_

 _"Hell, yeah, you ever notice how all the chicks seem to faun all over you?"_

 _"Um… Girls like me?"_

 _"You dense shit, you seriously haven't noticed them flirting?" Katio asked with an exasperated expression._

 _"Um… No…" I replied. I was beginning to feel really stupid considering I had no clue what Kaito was talking about. He grinned at me in amusement and folded his arms behind his head as he began to stroll into the gates of Akademi High. "Hey, don't walk off all smug like!" I shouted and leapt forward to catch up to him. "You seriously think chicks are into me? I thought I just had a lot of friends."_

 _"Yeah, Man, I'm pretty sure Kyoko and Mistuki have been fighting over you when you're not around."_

 _"No joke?"_

 _"No joke."_

 _I couldn't help but smile a little as I walked with Kaito into the school. We both took off our shoes and stuffed them into our lockers. Kaito seemed content to simply lean against the lockers, wiggling his eyebrows at me. That weirdo was always doing stuff like that. I lightly punched him in the shoulder, "Cut it out, Man."_

 _Kaito let out a hardy laugh, "Yeah, sure. I heard the sports club is playing volley ball later. You gonna tag along?"_

 _"Why would I want to watch volley ball? I don't like sports."_

 _"For the hot chicks with their asses hanging out."_

 _"I mean… As appealing as that is, that's what shady train station magazine racks are for."_

 _"Oh come on, we won't be the only ones watching."_

 _"I have science club activities later, you go on without me," I finally said. I mean, sure, ogling hot girls sounded appealing enough, but I didn't want to get caught doing that. It seems kinda creepy. Plus I didn't like bailing on my club._

 _Kaito sighed, rolled his eyes, and slumped over, "Fiiiiiinne. Leave me all alone. You're not fun."_

 _"I know."_

It'd been years since I thought about Kaito. I wondered if he even remembered me… Surely he had to? We spent most of our childhood together. We were practically inseparable until… Ryoba… I winced a little at the thought as I tried to pull myself out of bed. It was hard to do so some days, but I had to try harder for Ayano's sake. Still, my mind wandered and raced a million miles a minute, jumping around between the day ahead of me, Kaito, Ryoba, Ayano, and that stupid strawberry gum jingle from the 80s. I growled a little in irritation and slammed my face back into my pillow, trying to get a hold of my thoughts. It didn't work.

"Dad, Grandma wants to know what you'd like for breakfast," Ayano called from outside my room. Breakfast. Break. Breaking. Breaking furniture. Smash, shatter, Fuck! What's concentrations anyways? What did she just ask? Break… Break? Oh, breakfast! Shit, what do you eat for breakfast? Um… Fuck it, eggs.

"Anything with eggs sounds good." I responded, forcing myself to lift my face out of my pillow so she could hear.

"Got it! I'll tell her."

"Thanks, Sweetie." I mumbled and let my head fall back into my pillow. I kept my face there until I was forced to lift it for air again. Ever since I was able to get away from Ryoba, I've barely been able to think straight. My mind is constantly running around like a three year old with cotton candy. It's either hyperactive or thoughts are nonexistent. I feel crazy sometimes. I got up out of bed and tried my best to focus on getting ready, though I mostly just went on auto pilot by that point. I got myself ready then stumbled down the stairs, trying my best to avoid the family portraits on the wall. I didn't want to look at them. I didn't want to think about them, I didn't want them around me. Still, I didn't ask to take them down. It wouldn't be fair to Mom and Dad. I sat down at the table after grabbing my breakfast and quickly ate it. Ayano talked with Mom about something that I didn't have the brain power to process at that moment. Once we finished eating, we walked out to the garage only to be approached by a cat. The thing meowed at me, and I unconsciously screamed… It wasn't my proudest moment.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Ayano asked worriedly, snapping her attention to me.

 _"Soto! Package for you!" Mom called out._

 _"Coming!" I ran downstairs to see what it was that I got. I looked at the wet cardboard box that had been sitting out in the rain. Eagerly, I opened up the box, only to find three decapitated cats inside. I screamed and ended up knocking over the box, letting them fall onto the kitchen floor accidentally. When Mom ran over and saw, she screamed too._

"Dad, what's going on?"

 _"I FELT NOTHING! I FELT NOTHING! DAD, I FELT NOTHING!"_

"Dad?"

 _"Oh, Darling, I know you're a cat person, so I got these cute little kitty ears just for you! Now say meow!"_

"Dad!" Ayano yelled, causing me to snap out of it. I sat down on the ground, staring at the little cat run away from our garage. Ayano sat down next to me and hugged my arm worriedly. I tried to organize my thoughts, tried to forget all the cats. Fuck, what's with the Aishi's and cats? I was suddenly really thankful that Ayano has only ever asked for a bunny. Maybe I'll get her one. Maybe that'll help get cats out of my mind. I'll get Ayano a bunny. Yes, I'll get her one on my way home from work. She'll love it. "Dad, are you ok?"

"I'm ok, the cat just spooked me for a moment."

"… Was it because of the cat I…"

"No, no, not at all, Baby Girl, it just surprised me. Now let's get you to school."

"Are you ok to drive?"

"Of course I'm ok to drive, why wouldn't I be?" I asked as I opened the door for Ayano. She begrudgingly got into the car and I got in the driver's seat. We pulled out of the drive way and I turned up the music to try to hide the sound of my heavy breathing.

After work, I headed down to a local pet store to purchase a rabbit for Ayano. It took a while to find one that I felt was right, but I finally settled on a brown floppy eared rabbit. I picked up the essentials then went to check out, but ended up bumping into a worker on accident.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, jumping back a bit.

"It's ok, I'm sorry for bumping you, Ma'am."

She brushed herself off before smiling at me, "Can I help you check out?"

"Yes, thank you." I nodded in agreement. There was something odd about that woman... I felt like I knew her somehow, but how? I tried to push the thoughts out of my head as she helped me check out. The woman was short with long black hair and sad chocolate brown eyes. She smiled sweetly to me.

"Have a nice day, Sir!" She chirped. I smiled back and nodded.

"You too."

And with that, I left and headed to the school to pick up Ayano. When I showed her the rabbit, she practically squealed in delight.

"Dad! A real bunny?!" She asked excitedly as she took the little rabbit into her arms. "He's so cute. I love her. Thanks, Dad!"

"What are you going to name her?"

"Lacey."

"That's a cute name," I smiled to Ayano. She set Lacey in her little bunny crate then hugged me. I hugged her back, happy to see my daughter smile. It was a good reminder of why I survived. Why I have to keep surviving.


	2. Chapter 2 - Adjustments

_"Here's your food." Mr. Aishi slammed a plate down on my desk. I looked up at him, fighting my comfortable silence to try to thank him. I found talking was becoming harder and harder in the years I had been there._

 _"Th-Thank thank ya-y-you u." I managed to stutter out. He rolled his eyes at me._

 _"Don't pretend to be a polite young man. You turned my daughter into a fucking psychopath, I hope you're happy with yourself."_

 _"I-I'm sor sor sor sorry. I-I-I-I didn didn't me me mean i-it it."_

 _"You're only sorry because you have to deal with the consequences now. All of those people's blood is on your hands, don't you ever forget it."_

 _I rested my head against the wall as I watched him leave. All of those girls Ryoba killed… I caused it. I made her go insane. I took that man's daughter away. I was the lowest of scum. The door clicked louder than an explosion when he looked the door then left. Ryoba was out of town with the cheerleading team. I had heard her mother and father discuss how well she had been doing. She and her team had made it to nationals, which meant it would be a while before I saw her again. It made me happy that I didn't have to see her. Every time I saw her, heard her voice, or felt her touch, it made me want to cry. I knew crying only made everything worse, made me look like a fucking wimp, but I was losing what little will to survive I had left with every day I was forced to spend with her. The guilt of driving that girl mad, killing all of those girls I cared about, and taking away the child her parents raised, it made me feel like a monster. I was a monster. I hated myself more than I hated Ryoba. I hated myself FOR hating Ryoba._

 _I eventually picked at my dinner and forced myself to eat something. Eating was hard. I felt too ill to really eat anything, and keeping food in my system was another challenge in itself. Most of my time was occupied with either listening to music or sleeping. I didn't have the energy to read or watch tv. The news was still talking about Ryoba's innocence… It just made me nauseous. I found most things made me nauseous those days. I lied down in my bed after forcing myself to eat the rice I was given. I closed my eyes and tried to erase the thoughts from my mind. All I wanted was to escape into the abyss of nothingness and stay there for eternity._

I watched Ayano play with Lacey in the living room, seeming to enjoy her weekend. I looked around to see what everyone in the house was doing. Ayano was spending time with her rabbit, Mom was watching the tv, and Dad was reading a book. I, myself, was sitting on the floor with Ayano, still holding a bowl of rice that I had been trying to eat over the past hour. It wasn't going that well.

"Dad, are you going to finish that?" Ayano asked, pointing to my bowl.

I shook my head, "No, would you like it?"

"Sure." Ayano took the bowl from me and started eating. Fried rice was always one of her favorite meals. I remember when she was a little girl, I used to make her fried rice with vegetables and pork belly, or steak if we had it. Ayano would always eat at least two servings, even in some of her worst depression episodes. It always made me feel useful to cook for her.

I gave Lacey a brief pet while I relaxed on the floor. The news was still going on about Ryoba's death and involvement with the yakuza. I was honestly getting tired of hearing about it. Everyone kept talking about how nice and sweet they thought she was in spite of everything. It was sickening. I could tell Ayano was getting upset by it too. I wasn't sure if it was because of them talking about Ryoba or Ryoba's death. I was too scared to ask.

Ayano picked up Lacey and walked up to her room after finishing her fried rice. I was worried to ask her what she was thinking. I decided it would be best if I retired to my room as well. I needed the silence. I went up to my old room, which was mostly the same as it had been when I initially left it. A few things had been changed since I moved back in, but I didn't find it in me to completely redo it. I did hope to save my money to buy a house for Ayano and I, I could waste it on remodeling… That and I liked feeling safe and at home in my old room. Sure, it was childish for a grown man to live in a room decorated by a teenager, but I never had the chance to grow out of my room naturally. I knew once we got our new house, my room wouldn't look like this, so I figured there wasn't any harm in enjoying it while it lasted. Besides, Ayano actually thought some of my old poster were cool, so plus one cool dad points.

I lied down on my old bed and stared at the old movie poster I had plastered to the ceiling. I was surprised the tape had held up for this long, but impressed at the same time. I guess my younger self was good at keeping things together. I turned onto my side to face my old guitar. I used to love playing and singing, but I stopped after Ryoba got mad and threw out all my music equipment. I sat up and grabbed my old guitar. A lot of dust had settled on it, making me sneeze while I cleaned it off so I could start playing. Once it was clean, I relaxed on my bed and played an old, sad song.

 _I coughed violently, feeling my whole chest heave from it. My throat and chest hurt from coughing, but I couldn't stop. I felt sicker than I had ever been before, but Mr. and Mrs. Aishi refused to let me see a doctor. It was too risky for Ryoba._

 _From downstairs, I heard Mr. and Mrs. Aishi discussing Ryoba coming home that day and how all she'd talk about on the phone was me. I felt my whole body tense up in panic. I didn't want to see her again. I never wanted to see her again. I hated her. I would rather die than have to see her again! Die… I pulled myself out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom that connected to my bedroom. Once I was inside, I started the shower and started to undress. I stared at my razor, contemplating if I actually wanted to go through with my idea. What was the point in not? I had nothing left of my life. She took everything and everyone from me! I pulled the blade out of my razor and tested its sharpness on my hand. It was sufficient._

Ayano POV

It's very strange to live with my grandparents. Dad never said anything about his family, though I understand why. Not because they're bad, but more because they aren't bad. It must've been incredibly painful to be taken away from your family like that. I know if someone had done that to me and I couldn't see my dad anymore, I would be terrified. Grandma and Grandpa Akiyama were very kind to Dad and I. They were always making sure that we were comfortable and happy in our new home. I liked living with them, even if it was very weird.

I never really got to know my Grandma and Grandpa Aishi very well. I remember a little bit of them, but they died when I was ten or so. Mom and Dad never told me much about the circumstances, but I knew the truth. It was a murder suicide. It was normal for my family. Mom's grandparents died from a dual suicide, my aunt and her husband died from a murder suicide, and I knew that more than likely one day…

It didn't matter. It was over. I was safe. Dad was safe. Everyone was dead and we were safe. That's all that mattered. Still, I worried that one of these days, I would wake up and Dad would be dead. I knew he was struggling, but I never seemed to be much help. He didn't seem to enthused about the idea of going to a psychologist about it despite Grandma's constant insistence of him and I doing so. I would be open to the idea, but getting Dad to open up about what was going on in his head was a near impossible task. He would tell me that it would be best if we just tried not to think about it all… But what else do I have to look back on?

I sighed and hugged my stuff bunny while Lacey slept in her bed. All of the news reports made moving past things hard. Everyone knew who I was now. Everyone knew who my mom was. Everyone had an opinion. Everyone wanted me to be aware of their opinion. I just wanted to be left alone and go about school like nothing happened. I wondered if… there's no way he couldn't know. The whole fucking school knew! I didn't have the strength to try to talk to Taro like I had originally planned. I could barely show my face around my own friends. It shouldn't matter, I shouldn't care, but I do. I want to blend in. I want to be invisible. I don't want to be an Aishi.

Ding!

I looked at my phone to see who had texted me. To absolutely nobody's surprise, it was just Midori. She wanted to know what I had put down for one of our homework questions, which I quickly told her… Only for her to ask me a few other questions regarding various things. She was a bit of a jabbermouth, but I liked being around her. At least she did most of the talking so I wouldn't have to. It was nice to have someone willing to talk for me… Especially during all of this mess. All I had to do was text Midori a question and she would ask it for me in class. She was a good friend. A little annoying at times, but a genuinely kind person who was therapeutic to be around. I was very thankful for Midori.

We sat there texting for a few more minutes before I finally went to sleep. I hoped that things would be better in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3 - End of Silence

Ayano POV

I was eight when I made my first friend. I had had a rough time at school. Sometimes I blamed my home life for that, but ultimately it was my own strangeness. I wasn't like the other children. I was quiet, reserved, and I empty. I was motionless, I could sit at my desk for hours, not moving, and it didn't faze me. I suffered severe fatigue, and I could barely eat some days. Other days, I would eat everything I could find. I was a strange child, and the other children picked on me because of it. I tried to pretend to be normal after a while, but it took a while to gain a good reputation. That stage of trying but failing was how I found my first and best friend, Midori Gurin. Nobody ever called Midori normal, because quite frankly she was weirder than me. She was my opposite in many ways. Excitable, loud, hyper, full of energy and life. I admired that. She was everything I wanted to be. I never understood why she was disliked. She was one of the kindest souls I ever met, if not a little odd. I think some of the best people are odd though.

Midori was the only person who could've been close enough to know what was going on, but I kept secrets. I was good at secrets. Being quiet was my specialty after all. Sometimes Midori would ask about what was going on, referring to the bruises, cuts, and weight loss or gain. She noticed, but I lied to her. Sometimes I feel like I've never told her the truth, but I had to live a lie. I had to pretend to be normal. I had to pretend that everything was normal at home, with me, with my parents. Considering my family, that's a big task.

"Yan chan!" Midori called out with her usual chipper tone, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Oh, did you hear the news?! We get to go to the beach for our school trip! Aren't you excited?!"

Oh great, a mandatory beach episode. Last thing I need is Midori trying to get me to show off what I clearly do not have. I sighed, "Oh really? And what's the point of it?"

"Well… It's not the beach per say, but it's by the beach, and like, we can sneak off to go to the beach!"

"We're going to that Saikou lab on the coast, aren't we?"

"Yep! Come on, the school won't notice if we sneak away, it'll be fun! There'll be cute boys, cute girls, and water. Maybe we can even get an ice cream together and tan a bit. Doesn't it sound fun, Yan chan?"

"Not really, but if you insist, I'll do it," I sighed and nodded. "Come on, we have to get to class." I put my shoes in my locker then put on my school shoes. Midori took her good ol sweet time doing the same, seeming to be distracted by all the people around us. I sometimes worried I'd lose her in a crowd, but in reality, it was always me getting lost, not her.

"Yay! Oh, we gotta go swimsuit shopping! My mom gave me extra money this month, so we have plenty to spend on them, I'm so excited!" she cheered and danced around the hall in glee. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit at Midori's antics as we made our way to our respective classes. I waved goodbye to Midori at my class door before going to my seat. I did my best to ignore the whispers and stares. My mother had been in the news for a while now. The hysteria hadn't fully calmed down, and with more and more rumors circulating, it was getting hard to go about my day to day life peacefully. I longed for the days when I blended into the background, an obscure background character in someone else's story. Those days seem to have long since passed.

I check my phone after feeling it buzz against my leg. Midori sent me a picture of a bunny eating some lettuce. I couldn't help but crack a smile at it; Midori sure knew me well. I looked at the rabbit picture for a while before putting my phone away and pulled out my school supplies. I set out my notebook and grabbed a mechanical pencil. Oddly enough, I found myself staring at the paper for a while, almost longingly. I felt as though I needed to say something that couldn't be said. The truth. The venomous, deadly, truth. It was ridiculous… Silence was my self defense. I couldn't just betray it… But I wanted to say something. Anything. I huffed to myself and began writing in my notebook.

 _I returned home from school one day to hear screaming. I ran down to the basement and found myself unable to move or speak. Mom was standing there, over a woman's mutilated corpse. I backed away slowly, unsure of what to do. Mom growled at me and held up her cleaver._

 _"You nosey brat! Can't you see Mommy's trying to take care of us, you entitled little bitch?!"_

 _"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I managed to croak out as I backed away from the scene, only to trip over an odd wooden chair in the basement. Mom walked over to me and grabbed my ponytail angrily._

 _"Quit being so reckless! You could've damaged the chair!"_

 _"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please forgive me, I didn't mean it!"_

 _I knew my pleads wouldn't do anything. She was angry. She didn't care how remorseful I was. She was going to make me pay for my mistake until it came around the time for Dad to come home. Dad would never know. It was always planned accordingly to hide any evidence Dad could find of her hurting me. I wouldn't tell even if he caught her red handed. I didn't want to get it worse when he'd inevitably have to leave me alone with her again._

Back in reality, I felt tears beginning to well up in my eyes. My hand trembled as I looked at my paper, which had incoherent scribbles all over it. I could barely read the few keywords I wrote. Mom, kill, woman, naked, chair, butcher knife, pain, and me. My whole body seemed to tremble and shake as I read those words over and over again, unable to take my eyes off of them.

"Ayano!"

I screamed and bolted from my chair, out of the room, and down the wall. I wasn't thinking of the people watching, where I was, or really anything but getting away. I didn't know what I was running from. That woman was my teacher, not my mother. Still, any voice saying my name sternly like that seemed to send me into a fucking frenzy. I darted into the bathroom and locked myself in the farthest stall, trying to control my crying. I was trying to be quiet, with the hopes that I could hide and stay under the radar.

It didn't work out.

"Aishi-san?" a voice asked. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I croaked out.

"Do you need anything?" the voice asked timidly.

"No, I'm fine."

I heard footsteps and shuffling before a hand reached under the stall door to offer a water bottle. I hesitated at first before accepting the bottle of water. I sipped it slowly, trying to calm my nauseous stomach.

"Thank you… uh?"

"Oka… I'll see you around…"

"Then call me Ayano."

"O-Ok…. B-Bye," Oka said as she retreated away from the bathroom. I sighed and sunk down to the floor with my water, trying to calm myself down.

Soto POV

 _I climbed into the shower and sat on the ground, contemplating what had happened to my life. Everything I had done, everything Ryoba had done. I felt so trapped, so miserable… My existence was only to be tortured by her. I couldn't take it anymore. I dug the razor into my thighs then into my arms, hoping it would let bleed out and die. The tub began filling with blood, staining the white surface an ugly pinkish brown color as I began slipping away. At seventeen, I was going to finally die. I welcomed it with open arms. I hated living. I hated her. I hated myself. My life was stolen, my dignity stripped away, my friends murdered, and my body violated. That's no life to live. I thought back on the people I had loved once, long ago, to try to comfort myself as I lost consciousness._

I found myself at the pet store once again, buying more bunny feed. The same cashier from before rang me up and gave me the same nervous smile that I returned. We exchanged a 'have a nice day' then went about our lives. I wondered why I was drawn to the woman? I thought I could never feel attracted to someone again after Ryoba, but could this be a crush? Hell, I felt like childish even thinking like that. I'm too old to have crushes. It's not high school anymore. I cleared my head and returned to work.

When I got home, I looked at potential new homes online. Unfortunately, I couldn't sell my old one yet because it was still part of the investigation. The case of Ryoba Aishi had been reopened, and every bit of evidence counted. I wasn't about to complain about it. While scrolling, my eyes wandered to the tv in front of me. The news was talking about Ryoba again. I felt my stomach turn as they spoke about her. She was still the innocent little school girl in everyone's head… It made me sick. Even with the police reports of everything known so far… They still talked like she was a martyr. I growled and turned off the tv before looking the Word icon on my computer. I opened up a new document. Someone had to tell them the truth.

 _When I woke up, I was in my bed with Ryoba, who was a sobbing mess. I felt my own tears roll down my cheeks as I realized that I failed. I was alive. I was with her still. It was the most crushing thing I could've felt. I was so much of a failure, I failed to even die. How pathetic._

 _"SOTO!" she screamed out. "WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE ME?! YOU'RE MINE YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"_

 _"That's why I tried," I whispered as the fogginess took over and I fell asleep again._

I called a local news station after some time working up the courage to do so. Once I finally had it in me to do it, I called.

"Hello?"

"Hello, my name is Soto Akiyama. I was Ryoba Aishi's husband and I'd like to speak about the situation regarding my wife if you are interested in interviewing someone who knew her well."

"Of course, Sir! We'll schedule that as soon as possible!"

"Thank you, let me know when I'm needed," I said before hanging up. I felt my heart racing a million miles a minute as the realization hit me. It was the end of silence.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Thief

Soto POV

Ayano didn't say anything to anyone one day. It confused me because she had become more talkative since we moved in with my parents, but for some reason, she seemed to back track. I watched her sit there, picking at her food in complete silence at dinner and couldn't help but feel my heart fall into the pit of my stomach. She cleared her place then headed back upstairs without a word. I sighed and soon did the same.

I wondered if she was thinking of Ryoba a lot too. It would only make sense… Her whole life was dominated by Ryoba like mine was. I just happened to have the luxury of not being her son. Not that being her prisoner was much better, but I was thankful to not be her rival. Ryoba always saw Ayano as a rival for my affection. It makes me sick to even think of it. What kind of mother would even think something so ridiculous?! Well, I had my answer. Of course Ryoba would.

 _I returned home from work one day only to hear screams of agony coming from Ayano's room. I dropped my work bag and ran upstairs to my daughter's room. Inside, I saw Ryoba standing over Ayano's crib as she convulsed and screamed._

 _"Ayano!" I screamed and scooped up my baby girl as she struggled. My precious little Ayano weakly grabbed my shirt, crying out a desperate scream only met with the silence of the world around us. "What did you do to her?!"_

 _"You love her more than me, I can't take it anymore!" Ryoba sobbed, as if she was the victim. She walked closer to me._

 _"I will do whatever you want, just please don't let Ayano die! Please, Ryoba, I'll do anything, just please don't kill her!" I begged desperately. I knew I was completely at Ryoba's mercy. Even if I got Ayano help, I knew Ryoba would kill us both in the hospital._

 _"I want YOU, Hisato!"_

 _I sighed, "I am yours, Ryoba."_

 _"Good. I knew so. You can get her help. I'll take care of the story," Ryoba giggled a little and handed me the phone. I quickly dialed for an ambulance and we got Ayano to the hospital. Ryoba put on the best show she could, sobbing and screaming about her baby as if she wasn't the one responsible. I said nothing, only holding my little Ayano's hand as I cried, fighting everything in me not to strangle Ryoba right there. I knew even if I tried, I couldn't do it. She was too strong. She owned me. I would only put my sweet baby girl in more danger by retaliating. Ryoba made that very clear the day Ayano was born._

I sat down at my desk, unsure of what to say. I was supposed to give an interview for a major news outlet about my life with Ryoba. I wanted to ask Ayano to accompany me so she could give her story too, but it felt like too big of a request. There were things I wasn't sure if I could say out loud around my daughter, even if she already knew it was true. How do you openly admit that you were an unwilling participant in the creation of the most important person in your life? I didn't want Ayano to feel bad about it; she's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Even if she was technically the result of… well, of rape, I still love her more than anyone else. She's my baby girl, nothing will ever change that.

I clenched my fists as my thoughts rested on Ryoba. I still had no clue on how to keep going about my life when the majority of my life was controlled by her. Everything I did was monitored by her. I was a prisoner in every sense of the word. I still have a hard time looking other women in the eye. I didn't want anyone to die because of me. I was sometimes afraid to spend "too much time" with Ayano because I was afraid for her safety. Ryoba drained the life from me long ago… now I'm back, and everyone seems to want me to sprout back to my old self, but I died so long ago. Ryoba killed the Soto Akiyama my parents raised long before Ayano was even born. I don't know how to be the man I was supposed to be without her, and I think that is the ultimate thing she stole from me. I could have recovered from the torture, the rape, the years, the emotional turmoil, but she stole my identity. She stole who I was supposed to be. That's the one thing that I can't ever recover from.

 _I sat next to Ayano in the hospital. Ryoba had convinced the doctors and police that some mystery attacker broke into our home and attacked Ayano. It was determined at the hospital that Ayano was poisoned, which led to a series of seizures. The doctors couldn't guarantee that she would act the same as she did before afterwards, but it'd be hard to tell considering she was only a year old. I was just glad that she survived Ryoba's punishment. I would give anything to hold my happy baby girl once more. Anything._

 _Ayano weakly opened her eyes and looked to me. Her expression was empty and broken. I had never seen her like that before. It was the first time, but certainly not the last time._


	5. Chapter 5 - Party Planning

Soto POV

 _I stared at the same four walls over and over again. The dark basement blocked out the light of the outside world, like an isolated time capsule left to rot in the ground. My only company besides my capturers was the corpses of my classmates rotting beneath the floor, filling the room with the wretched stench of death… Fuck, how did it come to that? How did I get there?_

 _I heard the door creak open and footsteps softly moving closer to me. I wasn't sure if I wanted to look up to see who had come down to see me, or to simply grab a can from the shelf. Truly, storing prisoners next to the canned goods was the only way to do it. It's just more space efficient!_

 _I actually chuckled at that… I think I was losing my mind._

 _The footsteps came from behind me and crept closer and closer until the mystery person was standing right behind me. Then it did nothing. I heard and felt nothing. I weakly opened my eyes and tilted my head back in an attempt to see who had come down there. All I got was a very blurry image of a girl. She wasn't Ryoba or Mrs. Aishi, she was someone I had never seen before. I blinked and tried to get a clearer image, but my eyes weren't focusing in on her from being to swollen. Still, I could see her clearly stand there in thought, seemingly contemplating everything in her life. I didn't have the hope left to ask if she was there to save me. I knew that nobody was going to let me out of this basement for the rest of my life._

 _"I'm sorry, Akiyama-san. I waited too long."_

 _"Who are you?" I asked. She cut the ropes that bound me to the chair and took a few steps back, holding her arm nervously._

 _"You have to leave now. I'm sorry for taking too long to decide to help you or I could've let you take a shower… I'm sorry. Please run and don't stop running until you get home, I don't know when Ryoba will be back."_

 _For the first time, I got to see the Aishi home beyond the basement. It was a quaint little home, but definitely lacked the aesthetic I would give to a serial killer house. It looked like a house on one of those American sit coms, but with the furnishing of a Japanese home. It was homey, non threatening, a little tacky in places, and looked like picture-esque representation of what living in a family is like. It looked like a story told by a photo album; syrupy sweet and inaccurate. All along the walls were pictures of two little girls. As time progressed through photos, I saw that one of them grew up to be Ryoba, and the other to be the girl before me. Was this Ryoba's sister? How did I manage to miss her existence? I had been living in their basement for months, but I didn't even know there was a whole other person in the house._

 _She opened the front door and handed me my backpack shyly. I eagerly forged through it to see if my things were still inside. Most of it wasn't, but a notebook was still there along with my Walkman. The girl added a bento and a bottle of water to my bag, along with two thousand yen. I zipped up the pack and put it on before walking over to her. Maybe it was the cabin fever, maybe it was the fact that she saved my life, but I hugged the shit out of that stranger. She yipped before hugging me back after a few seconds._

 _"Can I at least know your name before I go?" I asked. She held her arm awkwardly before murmuring._

 _"Meiko Aishi."_

 _"I'm Soto Akiyama."_

 _"I know… You need to run now. I don't know when Ryoba will be home."_

 _I nodded to her before taking off out of the house. That exilherating feeling of being free for the first time in months, running, breathing fresh air, it was unbelievable. I shouted out in joy as my numb legs flopped in front of my in a semi running motion. I couldn't be bothered to worry about my odd walking pattern in that moment. I was free! I was out of that hell hole. I kept running, hoping that I would come across somewhere familiar that would lead me home. I looked around frantically before finding a bus station up ahead. I smiled at the sight, knowing I could just take that home. I kept running until I slammed right into someone, causing us both to tumble to the ground. Right below me stared back the soulless abyss of Ryoba's gray eyes. Her entire expression turned from shock to pure, unfiltered rage._

 _"You…"_

 _"Shit!" I scrambled off of her, only for her to trip me and drag me into an alley nearby when nobody was looking our way. I tried to cry out for help, but people continued to go about their ways as if I didn't exist. Ryoba slammed a hammer she had in her school bag down on my leg, making me cry out in pain before she struck me in the head, leaving me unconscious in the soul crushing failure of my attempted escape._

I hadn't thought about Meiko in years. She was even more of a mystery than Ryoba, which was intriguing considering how secretive Ryoba was. Even after years of marriage, I still feel like I barely knew her. She was secretive, manipulative, and scheming. I didn't know much else about her.

Ayano was packing herself lunch along with a bag full of other things, which confused me.

"What's that for, Sweetie?"

"Oh, I'm spending the night at Midori's house. She's throwing a slumber party."

"I see… There won't be any boys at this party, right?" I asked. There was no way I was letting Ayano go where some sleazy boy could hit on her or steal her away, or just get her to like him! Not my baby girl.

"Um, no, it's just me, Midori, and a few other girls from school. Midori's the one who invited them, so I don't know who all will be there."

"Ok… Well, call me when you get there and before you go to sleep so I know you're safe, ok?"

Ayano nodded and walked over to give me a hug. I held her for a moment before letting her go back to packing her lunch and snacks for the party. While I missed her always wanting to spend her time with me, I was happy to see her acting like a normal teenage girl. She should've been able to enjoy sleepovers and such earlier on rather than it having to wait until Ryoba's death. It hurts to know that it took so long for my little Ayano to be able to enjoy the things she should've been able to earlier.

Ayano smiled to me before waving and taking off out the door. Midori's mother was waiting outside to pick her up, so apparently, I just had to worry about getting myself to work. I waved goodbye to my little girl before getting back to my morning coffee.

Ayano POV

Midori talked me into going to a sleepover at her house. She said she wanted to introduce me to some other people. I appreciate the effort, but making friends is not exactly my strong suit. I've always been a loner. Midori was the only friend I had for most of my life besides my dad… Which sounds lame as hell, but I'm just not good with people. I do best when there's a barrier between me and the person, which I think is the main reason I was able to maintain a relationship with Midori for so long. She's always on her phone, so I can just text her whenever. It's more comfortable than trying to talk in person. I never know if I'm making a fool of myself… And I fear I don't talk as elegantly as I type.

Growing up, I used to fantasize about being an elegant lady, like the kind you see in movies. A dangerous fem fatale in a sexy black dress, diamonds, and with a sultry voice like melted caramel. It sounds kinda dumb, but I used to think of this character who I made up then try to replicate her. I would slowly pick my words to make sure every single one served a specific purpose and practiced talking in front of a mirror to try to sound elegant. I don't know if it worked or not… I never really talked to anyone outside of Midori if I didn't have to. I suppose I must be a loser.

Midori giggled and happily texted someone as she walked down the hall with her arm linked around mine. It was a bit awkward to walk like that, I always worried people would whisper, but I'd be lying to say I didn't find her touch comforting. It was odd to say that. I normally hate being touched, I especially hate girls or women touching me, but with Midori, I really don't mind. I guess that's the magic of friendship or something.

As we continued down the hall, Midori excitedly waved to different people and greeted them with the same enthusiasm she greeted all aspects of life. She sprung around to person to person, talking to them and dragging me along with her. I kinda wished Midori wasn't as much of an extravert as she was at times like that.

"Kokona! Saki! HI!" Midori shouted as she waved to two girls, who waved back. "Are you still coming over?!"

"Yeah, we're coming over. Is that Ayano?" Kokona asked as she motioned to me.

"Yes, I'm Ayano Akiyama." I nodded. Oh my god my hands are sweating. Why are my hands sweating?! Why does this happen every time I talk to people?

"I'm Kokona Haruka and this is Saki Miyu. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too." I think I'm gonna be fucking sick.

"Well we'll talk later. Bye, Midori, bye Ayano." The two girls waved then left to get to their own classes. Thank god that's over…I can't believe I agreed to a whole night of that tonight. I think I'm gonna die. Oh shit, Midori saw five other people and they noticed me too. Damn it.

Soto POV

Again, I found myself at the pet store, buying more bunny feed than we actually needed. I found that I was often compelled to go so I could talk to the cashier… Which sounds really creepy. It probably is, but I can't explain the feeling. It's an odd familiarity, like I know her. I know I don't, but I can't shake the feeling that we once knew each other.

"Must be a really chubby bunny, Mr. Akiyama," the woman giggled as she scanned the feed.

"Uh, yeah, we've been helping out some other people with their rabbits so… We go through a lot of feed."

"Oh… Right."

"Are you alright?"

"U-Uh, yeah! Your total is two thousand yen!"

I handed her the money and took the bag from her. The process felt all too familiar. The cashier held her arm awkwardly, apologized, then wished me a good day. I left, wondering why I was drawn to her, a complete stranger.

Ayano POV

After being dragged around to every person in the school, Midori and I finally sat down for lunch…. With a bunch of other people. I felt like I was gonna pass out I was so tired from trying to make a decent enough impression.

"Oh! Miyuji! Are you coming over too?" Midori called out. The girl looked her way curiously and shrugged.

"Sure thing, what am I coming over to?"

"Slumber party! There'll be goodies, and games, and anime, and pillow fights, and and and emails!" Midori was bursting with excitement so much that she exploded into a fit of giggles. It looked adorable, but also really painful.

Miyuji laughed, "Sounds like a blast. Text me your address and I'll be over."

"Yay! Thank you!" Midori giggled. "Oh, Oka, are you coming over too?!"

Oka, who was… Stalking the Basu sisters(?), looked like she saw a ghost when Midori yelled at her… Though come to think of it, she runs the occult club so maybe her reaction to seeing a ghost wouldn't be as negative as it was to see Midori.

"U-Uh uh…"

"It'll be fun! Plus, don't you already know Yan-chan?"

"Um, yes, kinda… A little…"

"So come on over to my house, we're having a big slumber party! My mom is letting us make nabemono for dinner, also, we made cookies! With frosting even. The frosting is green and black. Well, green for me, because you know, I love green, and I think Ayano's favorite color is black. She wears it a lot, right Ayano?"

"Um, I mean, yes, I do like black," I stumbled over my words at suddenly being put on the spot.

"… I like black too…" Oka said in quiet, shy tone.

"See, you have so much in common!" Midori cheered.

"A lot of people like black, Midori," Kokona pointed out.

"Yeah, but Oka and Ayano are both really shy, like black, read horror manga, and have a weird birthmark on the back of their necks."

Oka quirked an eyebrow at Midori, clearly wondering how she knew that. I was wondering it too, but figured I didn't really want to know. She looked to me shyly, as if to ask me for help. I stood up, and in an attempt to look elegant, I walked over to Oka.

"You don't have to attend if you don't want to. I understand, people make me nervous too," I managed to say in a way that didn't sound too horrible. Oka smiled slightly before nodding.

"I-I'll go then… My mom is always telling me to try to make more friends."

"Ok, I'll see you there." I said with a smile back to her.

"YAY!" Midori cheered before her phone buzzed. She checked it, then cheered, "THERE HAS BEEN AN UPDATE! YAY!"


	6. Chapter 6 - The Date

Soto POV

 _"Miss?! Miss?!" Kaito yelled as he fished a limp girl out of the pool and set her down on the concrete. I immediately sprung into action and began taking her pulse. She was alive, that was a good sign. I checked for breathing, and that's where things got more worrisome. She wasn't breathing. I never expected to actually perform CPR on someone, but in that moment, it was truly life or death. I quickly put my past training to use, thanking my mother's insistence on my siblings and I learning first aid. After a minute, the girl began coughing up water and regaining consciousness. Slowly, her grey eyes opened and stared at me as though she had never seen another person before. It didn't really occur to me how odd her facial expression was until years later. I always just thought she was shocked from having nearly died._

 _"Are you alright, Miss? Can you walk? We need to get you to the nurse's office." I explained, trying my best to remain calm for the girl's sake. Kaito climbed out of the pool and began frantically drying off while I was checking on the girl._

 _"I-I… I, uh uh I… You…"_

 _"I'm gonna carry you, ok, Miss?" I asked. She turned completely red and nodded. I picked her up bridal style, careful not the exacerbate any possible injuries she could've sustained in the fall. Once I had a good grip on her, I began walking out of the pool area. I felt a little awkward strolling into the school in my swim clothes, but considering the circumstances, I think it was excusable. Someone's well being was more important than my self consciousness over not wearing a shirt. Still, I wanted to crawl under a rock and die walking around like that in front of all my classmates. There's something kinda shameful about it, or at least, I felt a bit ashamed. I was a nerd, with little to know athletic ability, so I wasn't exactly 'buff' like some of my classmates. Let's just say, I wasn't accepted into Akademi for my athletic achievements like some of the other students were. Maybe it was dumb to be worried about something as silly as that. Looking back, worrying about stuff like that was the good ol' days._

 _To distract myself from the awkwardness of the situation, I tried to reassure the girl, who was hyperventilating and shivering like crazy._

 _"Hey, it's ok. We're gonna get you help, you have nothing to be worried about. We're almost to the nurse's office, just focus on breathing and staying awake."_

 _She never responded, she simply stared at me and hyperventilated. She did at one point put her hand on my face. I didn't mind. I assumed she was just terrified and trying to comfort herself. I would be scared if I nearly drowned too._

 _Once we arrived at the nurse's office, the faculty took her from there. I wanted to wait to see her again, but I was dismissed. I had intended on waiting in the hallway, but my mom had demanded that I come home when she picked me up. Kaito swore to check on the girl in my place, and he did from what I'd heard. It wasn't until many years later, I learned the truth about the girl that I had rescued. That girl… That strange girl… Was my future wife, Ryoba Aishi._

* * *

I was at the pet store once again, unsure of what to purchase. At this point, it became tradition. I knew it was probably really creepy to keep coming there, but I felt like I needed to figure out who that worker was. I couldn't get my mind off her, it was beginning to drive me crazy trying to think of where I had seen her before… Maybe I'm turning into Ryoba. No, I would never hurt anyone, I am not like Ryoba. I'm just curious… Or is this me justifying being a fucking creep? I honestly have no idea what's normal anymore.

I take a deep breath as I look over the rabbit supplies, trying to decide what to spoil Lacey with today. I decided to grab a new chew toy and some treats for her then looked around for the worker. When I spotted her, she was checking out some teenage girl with sloppily cut hair, who was going on about a 'turtle stage and little turtle instruments'. I'm not really sure what she expects this poor turtle to do, but at least I know there's apparently someone willing to buy turtles guitars.

Once I got up to the front, the woman's demeanor changed after waving goodbye to the girl. The woman sighed, "Hi, Soto."

"Um… I'm uh… Just here for rabbit treats…"

She nodded quietly and scanned the items, avoiding looking me in the eye. Welp, I fucked up. I think I creeped her out. Damn it! I can't exactly just ask who she is now, it is way past the point of that. I was sweating like a pig waiting for the transaction to end so I could escape. The woman eventually handed me the bag along with an envelope. She looked down at the floor again.

"Quit wasting so much money and just talk to me later, ok? No games."

"Y-Yes, Ma'am, sorry!" I took the bag and the envelope, then darted out the door as quickly as possible. Once I was away from the store, I collapsed in a bench in exhaustion. I swear, I could feel my heart about to pound out of my chest. I thought I was having cardiac arrest. Thankfully, I wasn't. I fumbled with the bag and envelope, cursing my sweaty palms for making it harder than it should've been. After carefully tearing into the envelope, I eagerly pulled out my prize, hoping it wasn't anthrax.

To my surprise, inside the envelope was an old flyer for a festival at Akademi High in 1989. It kinda gave me a weird nostalgia rush, but not in a good way. I don't really know how to describe it, but every muscle in my body just tensed up and my heart nearly stopped for a minute. Thinking about that year too much… It kinda fucks me up to be honest. Nevertheless, I persisted and looked at the back of the flyer which had an address to 'Golden Ticket', a bar in Shisuta Town. It also had a phone number written down. Below it, read 'Meiko Aishi' and 'Meet me at Golden Ticket at 8 PM tonight. We need to talk- Meiko'.

Meiko… I suddenly felt like an asshole for not having thought about her in so long. She was always in the background of the Aishi family, often going unnoticed by her parents and sister, hell, even me at times. I generally tried to pay Meiko some attention when I had the chance, after all, she tried to save me a few times, but after a while, our talks got shorter, less frequent, and one day, she just disappeared. I didn't see her around the Aishi home any longer. I couldn't hear her playing the piano or singing anymore. I could no longer hear her cheerful voice telling me good morning when she'd pass by me, or see her calm, human like smile that nobody else in the house had. Her silent existence seemed to be snuffed out overnight, and I never had the bravery to ask why… I think deep down I knew Ryoba did something to her. Meiko was my friend, and that was an offense worthy of death or worse to Ryoba.

I sighed in morbid relief that Meiko was at least alive… it explained why I was so drawn to her. Why I couldn't recognize that the cashier was Meiko, I don't know. It should have been easy to figure out for me, I only stared at Meiko's face for three years and Ryoba's for twenty nine years. I shook the irritation with myself out of my head then began to head home to contemplate my next course of action.

* * *

 _"Soto, do you believe in miracles?" Meiko asked me as she stared at the piano keys. We were seated in the living room while Ryoba and her parents were away from the house. I found that leaving my room to spend time with Meiko during these times made my imprisonment more bearable… Despite her insistence, I couldn't try to run anymore. She wasn't willing to leave with me, and I wasn't about to leave the only light in my life to be smothered to death by her psychotic family. I leaned against the wall, trying to think of a good answer for her. I ended up aimlessly strumming my guitar for a minute before replying._

 _"No, I'm sorry, I don't."_

 _"Yeah… Me too." Meiko said quietly. "Whenever I was little, my mother used to tell my sister and I that one day, we'd meet our Prince Charmings who would make everything better, make us complete, make us truly happy. Ryoba and I were different from the start. Ryoba blended in, but she was manipulative, spiteful, and deceitful… I was just odd… And very sad. Neither of us were happy. Ryoba always blamed it on some mysterious ailment that runs in our family, but I don't believe it exists. I think Ryoba just wanted something to excuse her actions, to make her look like less of a psychopath. I always knew our sorrows weren't the result of a made up illness, rather, the horrible prison this house has become. When you're a prisoner since birth, it's hard to know what happiness is. And in a family as dysfunctional as this one… Someone has to be the target for it all, at the bottom of the pecking order… That's me."_

 _"Meiko-chan, that's not how it should be," I assured as I set my guitar down and sat down beside her._

 _"I've earned it… I tear my family apart slowly every day… I nearly let my own sister get arrested… What is wrong, what is right, what am I supposed to do? I know if I try to tell the police, they won't do anything, not after that fiasco last year. If we run, they will find us and hurt us. If I die, I can't stay near you… and if I kill my sister, I will surely go to prison. But if it gets you home… is it the right thing to do? Soto, what will save my soul from this horrible sadness?" She asked as tears streamed down her cheeks. I was at a loss for word. Meiko wasn't a killer. Even if she got it in her head to do so, she wouldn't be able to bring herself to do it. I knew it, and deep down, she knew it too. Truly, we had nowhere to go, no options, not any way to become free. I sighed and took her hand in mine._

 _"We can stay together like this until there's a way to escape."_

 _"What if an escape is impossible?"_

 _I sighed, "Then… Then I want you to live a full life. Tell my family that I passed away and that I love them… Leave this god forsaken town and do something with your life. Paint, play the piano, fly in an airplane, do everything you can to live the fullest life you can. Fall in love the right way… Live for both of us, ok?"_

 _"But I can't fall in love."_

 _"Why?"_

 _Meiko was quiet for several minutes before drying her tears and whispering to me with the saddest expression I have ever seen, "My heart belongs to you… And I'd rather die than give it to anyone else."_

* * *

After a lot of thought, I decided to meet Meiko in Shisuta Town. Normally, I wouldn't leave Buraza Town, but since Ayano was at a friend's house for the weekend, the drive and late night wouldn't be as big of a deal. I got myself ready, tried to look semi presentable, thinking back to our time together all those years ago. It'd feel wrong not to bring her flowers. She always loved lilies, so I decided to pick up a small bouquet of them before meeting her in the bar. I stopped by a florist, got the bouquet, then began driving up to Shisuta.

* * *

When I arrived at the Golden Ticket, it was already dark outside. The chilly autumn breeze blew against my face, reminding me that I should have grabbed a scarf before leaving home. I shivered slightly before walking inside of the building, which felt hot from the many people inside. Still, it beat standing out in the cold. I spotted Meiko sitting in a booth near the entrance, babysitting a glass of brandy in silence. Nervously, I pulled myself together and took a seat across from her.

"H-Hey, Meiko… Uh, long time no see."

"You saw me earlier today, Soto," She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

I chuckled awkwardly, "Yeah…. But I didn't know it was you."

"I know," she sighed. "I guess I can't be too upset. We've both grown a lot since the last time we saw each other… That's not what I wanted to talk to you about though."

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Ryoba. I heard you were going to be doing an interview on national television in a few days. I would like to be able to talk too. Your girl should as well. If the news is going to get a full story, they'll need the beginning… And I'm the only one who knew Ryoba before you." Meiko sipped her brandy and hissed quietly. "Look, I'm not gonna take over your segment, but if you could convince them to talk to me too, that'd be great."

"Of course, I can do that for you… What happened to you? Why'd you disappear, where'd you go?" I asked. Meiko looked as though she was going to crush the glass with her bare hand.

"I don't want to talk about it right now, but obviously my life hasn't gone that well. I'm 43 years old and I work at a pet store, live in a shitty apartment in Shisuta, and thanks to my dear, sweet sister, I didn't get any of the family money when Dad finally killed Mom… So yeah, things are wonderful. How are you?"

"Well… I'm 45, I live with my parents, I'm the single father to a teenage girl with severe depression and trauma issues, and I can't even sell my house right now because it's a part of an investigation. So I guess I'm doing shitty too."

Meiko snickered a little, "You're damn right… Prisoners for life, huh?"

"I guess so," I sighed. She furrowed her eyebrows before stretching her arms and slumping down in the seat.

"Look… I don't know if we can pick up where we left off, but I wanna be your friend still, Soto. You were there for me when nobody else was, and I haven't forgotten that. I never did. I don't think a relationship is what either one of us need right now, but… I can try if you really want to."

I thought for a minute, unsure of how to respond. Meiko and I had never really been official with whether or not we were a thing. Granted, we were probably boyfriend and girlfriend considering we would kiss and hold hands when Ryoba and her parents were away, but even so I was too scared to actually utter those words. I loved her, and I told her that, but I didn't have it in me to call her my girlfriend. Maybe that makes me a coward. Looking back… I wish I had told her that I thought of her that way. I replied to her, "I'm willing to try if you want to take things slow. Ultimately, I have a daughter who I have to put first, and I'm trying to get my life back together."

"And I'm doing the same. Slow it is." Meiko nodded and stirred her drink. "Um… We have a lot to catch up on, and honestly, I just want to get drunk and enjoy being next to you again, so can we discuss the serious shit tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan," I agreed. She grinned and sat down next to me on my side of the booth. I put my arm around her and she leaned into me, continuing to sip her drink. I let my worries leave me for a moment in time so I could enjoy being with Meiko for the first time in decades.


	7. Chapter 7 - Sleepover Shenanigans

Ayano POV

After school, Midori and I headed back to her house. Mrs. Gurin picked us up and drove us there, making pleasant conversation with Midori and I throughout the drive. I had always liked Mrs. Gurin, she was one of the kindest, if not scatter brained, women I had ever met. She was everything my mother prided herself on being, but genuinely so. A kind mother and loving wife, and genuinely so. Midori's mom had always treated me like another daughter, which was confusing. Still, I'm not complaining. She would always make Midori and I snacks when we'd come home from school, bring my family cookies every Christmas, and invite me to join them for family trips. Sometimes, I was tempted to call her 'Mom', but I would never put her in danger like that.

Midori and I raced into the house to see what treats were left out for us on the kitchen counter. The familiar home smelled of freshly baked cookies, which we immediately spotted on the table. Midori grabbed as many as she could hold, and I took a single cookie, wanting to save my appetite for later.

"Mom, what do we need to do?" Midori asked between mouthfuls of cookies. Mrs. Gurin chuckled and pat her daughter on the head affectionately.

"Oh, just get your room and the guest rooms ready for your guests, Buggy. You have the loft to yourselves tonight so long as you don't disturb your brother too much."

"Thank you, Mom!" Midori cheered and hugged her mom with all her strength. Midori's hugs are always tight, if not slightly suffocating, but Mrs. Gurin took it in stride before wandering around the kitchen as if she had no idea what she was doing. She stood there for several minutes before finally remembering.

"Oh, yes, cooking, that's why I was in this room… Or was I going to get a drink? Cereal sounds pretty good," Mrs. Gurin mumbled to herself absent mindedly while Midori and I walked upstairs to the loft. The Gurin house was large and extravagant. The furniture was high end, along with the technology, but it maintained a homey feel from all the portraits and momentos of the family. All along the walls were pictures of Midori and her older brother, displayed trophies and medals of their accomplishments like shrines, and several of their childhood drawings framed on the walls like precious art. Midori's loft included a home theater, a few arcade machines, a pinball machine, a popcorn machine, and several gaming consoles. Mr. and Mrs. Gurin were world renown surgeons and thus had a lot of money. Many people have a hard time believing the absent minded Gurins were geniuses, but as odd as it was, it was the truth.

I went to the closet and began pulling out the air mattresses to blow up. Midori and I weren't sure how many we'd ultimately need, so we blew them all up and put sheets on them. We then moved some things around in her messy room so we could fit as many as the mattresses in there while still being able to get around. Two air mattresses were in Midori's room and another two were in the loft. After all the work, Midori and I collapsed on the couch in the loft in front of the projector. I pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around myself and Midori pulled out a game to play while we waited for the guests to arrive.

* * *

The first person to arrive was Oka, followed shortly after by Kokona and Saki. We all congregated in the loft to chat while we waited for everyone to arrive. Kokona and Saki mostly stuck to each other, and Oka hid in the corner of the large sofa with her nose in a book. I wanted to ask her about the book but found myself unable to ask. I didn't want to make her more nervous by asking. Midori was zipping around, grabbing snacks and practically throwing them at the guests. A little later, Mai, Pippi, and Uekiya arrived at the Gurin house. We waited around for another hour before Miyuji finally showed up so we could eat.

Mrs. Gurin brought the supplies to cook upstairs and we got to work making our nabemono. Midori was busy getting drinks for everyone while Saki, Kokona, and I cut veggies and meat. I carefully peeled a potato using the knife I was given, though I was well practiced with a knife in my hand, making the process rather quick. I was averaging a potato every thirty seconds, then passing it along to Mai, who cut them into bite sized pieces. I happened to glance over at Kokona, who was struggling to cut some meat.

"Kokona, would you like to trade?" I asked nervously. I didn't want to call her out for being slow… But at that rate would never get to eat.

"It won't cut, what's wrong with it?" she asked as she struggled with the meat on the large plastic cutting platter in her lap. I reached my hands out to her to take it if she was willing to hand it over.

"Want me to try? The potatoes aren't too tough, so if you would like to, you can peel them."

Kokona looked a bit conflicted before handing over the meat platter and accepting the potatoes. I grabbed a different knife and stabbed the tough piece of beef all over several times to tenderize it before slicing it thinly in quick, precise cuts. Feeling eyes staring at me, I glanced up to them.

"What?"

"Wow, you're really good at that, Yan-chan," Kokona said in awe as she watched me, rather than watching her own motions. She sliced open her finger and yelped. "Eep!"

"Go get a bandage from the bathroom, I'll clean the knife and board," I said with a slight wince. "Midori, can you go get me some soap, a rag, and hydrogen peroxide?"

"Oh, yeah, I'll be right back with that, Yan-chan!" Midori said in her usual cheery tone as she rushed to go get me the cleaning supplies. Miyuji quirked an eyebrow.

"Why the peroxide?"

I set the platter down and threw away the bloody potato for Kokona while she retrieved her bandaid from the bathroom next to the loft. I answered quietly, "Hydrogen peroxide cleans up all the residual blood… If you use it, it won't even show up in black light because it'll all be gone."

"Oh… I just pour it into my ears to help me hear better," Miyuji said with either a fascinated or creeped out expression. I'm not very good at reading people, so I couldn't figure it out.

"Hydrogen peroxide has a lot of uses… Mom used it for a lot of different things, mostly cleaning," I explained as Midori returned with the cleaning supplies. I quickly began scrubbing the cutting board and knife clean the way Mom had shown me all those years ago, avoiding eye contact with the other girls. I could feel the fact that I had said the wrong thing hang in the air. Midori flopped down beside me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders while I cleaned.

"Oh, I sometimes use it to clean my tooth brush!" Midori added. "It's really helpful."

"Didn't your mom pass away recently, Ayano?" Mai asked.

"You shouldn't bring things like that up, Mai!" Saki exclaimed. I glanced around the room before shrugging.

"Yes, she died about a month ago," I said as I finished cleaning the cutting board then handed it back to Kokona. "Here you go, be careful."

Kokona gave me a sympathetic expression and set her hand on my shoulder, "You can always talk to me if you need to, Yan-chan. I know how hard it is to lose your mom, mine died last year."

"I uh… Thank you, Kokona." I said simply, avoiding eye contact. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I didn't miss my mother. I knew I'd look like a monster, and I knew telling everyone what she was really like… It would probably fail. I didn't want to seem heartless, so I simply sat there in silence, slicing the meat the way Mom taught me how, the exact way she trained me to so I could fulfill her aspirations.

Awkwardness hung among the air, and I guess Miyuji sensed it, because she suddenly broke the silence, "Oh! I found the cutest thing at the pet store today for Mr. Jazzy Feet."

"What'd you find?! Is it a hat?!" Midori asked excitedly.

"Better, it's a little stage and little turtle instruments. Come take a look," She grinned proudly as she pulled out a portable turtle tank, which low and behold, held a little turtle that had once resided in the Light Music Clubroom. I wonder why Miyuji took the turtle from the clubroom but decided not to question it. Midori practically had heart failure when she saw this turtle, as she began squealing and asking Miyuji dozens of questions about the turtle, way too many questions for any normal person to keep track off. While I was looking at the turtle with Midori and Uekiya, Saki took over cutting the rest of the meat, leaving her veggie task to Pippi and Mai. Oka kept being absorbed by the couch cushions, trying to make herself small. She would've succeeded if it wasn't for Miyuji putting her on the spot. "Hey, Oka, you should pick out a good horror movie for us, got any ideas?"

"Uh uh uh, wait… what?"

"A movie, silly! What kind of movie should we watch? What's your favorite scary movie? Is it really really scary, cause like, you love scary things, you run the scariest club at school, so you must know lots of really good scary movies!" Midori enthused excitedly. "Ooh, we can watch a movie while we eat! Oh, and then we can sing karaoke and play video games! Oooh, maybe we can play party games! I'm so excited!"

"Calm down, Midori, you're gonna scare the turtle," I said. Miyuji burst out laughing.

"Nah, Mr. Jazzy Feet doesn't mind noise, he just expects strawberries out of having to listen to it."

"Strawberries?" Uekiya asked as she looked through the dessert plate for the fruit. Once getting a strawberry, she looked to Miyuji. "May I feed him one?"

"Hell yeah, go for it."

Midori essentially imploded from watching this tiny green animal munch on a strawberry in front of her. She fell onto the floor giggling and rolling around squealing. I couldn't help but giggle along with her, she was too adorable when she did that. While Midori was being Midori, I slipped over to Oka and handed her the remote. She nervously accepted it and opened up Vudu so we could rent a movie. We scrolled through the horror selection quietly for a few minutes before Oka finally picked one. She simply murmured to me, "This one is my favorite."

"Why is it your favorite?" I asked in a quiet tone since she was feeling shy. Oka was quiet for a minute before hugging her knees.

"It's about a demon girl and a ghost hunter who fall in love, but have to fight to stay alive as the demons are coming to kill the ghost hunter… It's a horror movie, but it's also a love story. It does both aspects really well. The scares are genuinely scary rather than relying on cheap jump scares. In fact, there's only one or two jump scares. It relies on suspense and tension built up in the audience throughout the movie up to the grand finale… Which is what I can only describe as the most intricate blood orgy I have ever seen." Oka's eyes seemed to light up as she talked about the movie. "Horror doesn't have to be one thing. It can have genuine emotions other than fear… The light makes the dark all the more scary."

"It sounds like a good movie, let's put it on," I replied to Oka and relaxed on the couch next to her. She smiled slightly at me and hit play on the movie. The other girls, who had all been talking, started to quiet down as it started. Pippi and Midori began eating and whispering amongst themselves about some game they needed to buy before next Monday's Gaming Club meeting. Other than Midori asking every question in the book and Miyuji's occasional joke, everyone was quiet during the moving, letting the suspense build up like Oka swore it would. While I enjoyed the movie, it didn't really frighten me. I had seen a lot scarier images in my own basement, and seeing what Oka described as a 'blood orgy' with your own eyes… It takes away the fear factor of it in movies.

Throughout the movie, Oka kept glancing at me shyly then offering me some of her popcorn, which I accepted. About half way through, she leaned against me silently and kept watching the screen. I pulled a blanket up around us, a little worried that the other girls would get the wrong idea… Not that I didn't like Oka, but I didn't want them to mistake us for lesbians. I think Midori and Miyuji already did though, because they kept grinning at us then each other. It didn't help that Oka's movie of choice was about lesbians…Wait, was Oka gay!? I was beginning to worry a bit, but the more she snuggled up to me… I couldn't keep being concerned. She was harmless, and honestly, adorable. There was no need for panic.

* * *

When the movie ended, Midori sprung back to her feet and grabbed everyone more sodas. Pippi stretched her arms before helping out Midori, saying, "That's was… I'm glad we watched that with the light on because that was terrifying."

"It is a well-crafted horror movie…" Oka whispered.

"What should we do now?" Uekiya asked.

"How about truth or dare?!" Midori cheered. "We can all get to know each other then."

"Uh…." I was gonna voice my concern, but it was a nearly unanimous yes, so I just quieted down. Everyone got comfy on the air mattresses and couch while continuing to eat the snacks set out after dinner was finished. I remained next to Oka, though Midori decided to join us on the couch excitedly.

"Ooh, I'll go first, ask me something, Ayano!" Midori squealed.

"Um… Truth or dare, Midori."

"Dare, I was born ready!"

"Um, ok, you have to refrain from eating anything green until this turn ends."

She gasped, "That's so mean, Yan-chan!"

"You picked dare."

Midori frowned and hugged her knees, "Fine… Oh, it's my turn! Mai, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Is it true that you're married to a game developer overseas?" Midori asked.

"Engaged, not married, but yes."

"Ooh, that's so mature of you!" Midori cheered as Mai blushed and nibbled on a cookie.

"Thank you… Kokona, truth or dare?" Mai asked.

Kokona looked a bit conflicted before sighing, "Truth."

"Ok, are there any boys you like at school?"

"W-Well, there are two boys I think are cute…" Kokona mumbled with a blush. Miyuji grinned.

"Well, didn't take to long to get to the juicy stuff. Who has your eye, Kokona?"

"Riku Soma and Taro Yamada are kinda cute… B-But I'm not looking to date anyone right now."

"Ayano likes Taro too!" Midori yelled, making me curl up and cringe.

"Oh my god, Midori, why?" I groaned, hiding my face in my knees. The girls all began giggling.

"Don't worry, Yan-chan, there's nothing to be ashamed of, there's lots of cute boys at the school," Pippi assured. "My Ryuto is the cutest though!"

"Hmm, I don't know, I wouldn't say that he's the cutest," Miyuji tapped her chin in thought.

"Well who's the cutest then?" Pippi asked with a pout, crossing her arms in distrust. Miyuji grinned and motioned to Mr. Jazzy Feet's tank.

"Mr. Jazzy Feet is the cutest boy, duh."

"Human, boys, Miyuji, Mr. Jazzy Feet doesn't count!" Pippi protested.

Miyuji laughed, "I know, I know, I'm just pulling your leg."

Midori laughed, "Who's turn is it?"

"I don't remember," Saki shrugged. "I'll go, Ayano, truth or dare?"

I jolted back to reality and looked around the room. Oka seemed to have been startled by me suddenly jolting in place I looked over to Saki and awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck, "Um… Truth." I didn't actually want to tell the truth about anything, but I also didn't want to make Oka uncomfortable since she seemed rather cozy curled up to me. Saki stared at her soda for a moment before sighing.

"Uh, look, I hate to be the person that asks, but we're all curious. What's the situation with your family? The news keeps talking about your mom, and your dad is set to do an interview on national television, and you changed your last name out of nowhere. What's going on?"

"Saki, you shouldn't ask things like that…" Kokona said in a hushed voice.

Miyuji rolled her eyes, "Ayano, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

"Um, it's fine, I guess…" I sighed and held onto Midori and Oka's arms as I tried to think of the best way to explain what happened. We all sat there in silence for a while before I finally gathered my thoughts, "My mom died a month ago. She was murdered by some Yakuza when her plan to sell me off to them backfired. My dad and I fought them off, but one managed to kill my mom before we could stop them… It wasn't as much of a bad thing as it would be for other people. My mom was a serial killer. She killed at least ten girls in the eighties and kidnapped my dad when they were in high school. Long story short, she was obsessed with my dad and made our lives a living hell over it. She hurt a lot of people to keep my dad isolated and under her control, and now that she's gone, we're all a little safer. That's the situation in a nutshell." I looked up from the blanket to see a bunch of horrified looking faces surrounding me. Midori simply hugged me.

"Are you serious?" Pippi asked with a dumbfounded expression.

"Why would I make it up? It's been destroying my reputation more than normal," I asked, quirking an eyebrow. "I know that people whisper and talk about me and my dad. I hear it, I'm not deaf or stupid."

"It's wrong of people to give you a hard time over that, Yan-chan." Miyuji said with an upset expression.

"It's not a big deal, I'm used to people being rude to me."

"That doesn't make it right. If anyone starts causing you problems, let me know, ok?" Miyuji scooted over to me. I stared at her for a moment, unsure of how to react. I didn't really know anyone besides Midori here, but everyone seemed friendly enough. I didn't understand why they would offer me so much support. Most girls I had met had been cruel and sadistic. As Mom would always say, hell is other women… But maybe that wasn't entirely true. After all, Midori had been by my side from the time we were young children. I looked around at the people in the room then back at Miyuji. She looked genuine, but I was a bit worried about what she would do. Granted, Miyuji had a good reputation and was known for being very friendly to everyone, but she also dressed like a delinquent to a certain extent. She never seemed to act like one though, which was a bit confusing, but if I learned anything from my mom, looks weren't everything. After a moment, I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Ok, thank you."

"No prob." Miyuji smiled and relaxed a little. "I think we need a mood lightener. Who wants to have a pillow fight?"

"Ooh, me! ME! ME PICK ME!" Midori squealed and waved her arms up in the air wildly.

"Ok," Miyuji chuckled and whacked Midori with her pillow. Midori started to laugh and grabbed a pillow. The two of them went at it before the rest of us decided to join in. Oka shyly pressed her pillow against my shoulder, so I grabbed my pillow and hit her with it, only to get hit in the back of the head by Midori's pillow. We all started laughing and whacking each other with our pillows, climbing on the furniture and running around the house, much to the rest of the Gurin's family's dismay. I chased Midori around like I would when we were little. It was a good night, and I think that was the first time I had ever had fun in a big group of people I hoped to one day call friends.


End file.
